21 June 2023 , 13:41
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Sir Alex Ferguson signed Ricardo in 2002 from Real Valladolid, but the goalkeeper rarely featured during his Manchester United days.
The Spaniard only played a handful of times for the Red Devils, but if anyone from Old Trafford saw him now they'd struggle to recognise the 51-year-old, whose locks have undergone a posh trim. Fabien Barthez and Roy Carroll were ahead of him in the pecking order, eventually forcing him to head elsewhere.
Ricardo picked up two caps for his country and returned to LaLiga when he eventually left Manchester in 2005, seeing out the rest of his career at Osasuna. His look may have changed since his playing days but he's still doing his bit between the sticks, playing for Iker Casillas' 1K FC in the Kings League, the seven-a-side competition founded by Gerard Pique.
The goalkeeper admits his move to the Premier League came as a surprise, but it raised valuable funds for the team he left and immediately he felt as if he was up to standard. He told Planet Sport : “It was a little bit of a surprise for everyone (when I moved to Old Trafford) but very important for the club and for me because Real Valladolid got money for me and it was a very good opportunity for me to play in Manchester.
"He (Ferguson) didn’t tell me much directly, but he was very nice with me, he told me about Spanish football and how he watched me closely in my first training at United. I could see in his face, he was very happy with me.
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“Obviously, he signed me because I got my caps with Spain. I would have liked to have had more opportunities, but this is football. At that time Fabian Barthez and Roy Carroll were in front of me and it was very difficult to get the No.1 spot.
The goalkeeper was barely used during his Man Utd days (Manchester United via Getty Images)"Maybe Sir Alex Ferguson tried me in the Champions League games to see what I could do. I would have liked to have played more in the cup or the league games, but that did not happen. I don’t know why, I will never know.”
Ricardo's highlight in a United shirt was his sole Premier League outing, which came about as a half-time substitute against Blackburn Rovers in April 2003. Early on he gave away a penalty, bringing down Andy Cole, but made amends as he kept out David Dunn's penalty.
He recalled: “I remember Barthez got injured so I had to come on for the second half. There was a long ball and Ferdinand headed it, but the striker got in front of me and I fouled him. David Dunn took the penalty to my left and it was a good save and my most incredible moment in Manchester.”